Reynolds Wins Camel Ad Case in Ohio

Tobacco company R.J. Reynolds was not responsible for the fact that an ad for its Camel cigarettes was placed around a pullout section in Rolling Stone magazine that included cartoons, an Ohio appeals court has ruled.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported Jan. 16 that the court said the tobacco company was not in violation of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement signed with Ohio and other states, which bans cartoon characters in tobacco ads.

Nine state attorneys general had sued Reynolds in 2007 over the Rolling Stone ad, claiming it appealed to children and that the pullout section was a single presentation of ads and editorial content. The court agreed with Reynolds’ contention that it had no sway about the layout of the magazine.

The Camel ads touted a website with information about indie rock bands.